It’s pop quiz, y’all. Think fast—can you name this famous face? (And, no, this is not a picture of some medieval scholar.)

If you need a little help, I’ll give you three hints:

1) He is one of the greatest lead guitarists of all time

b) This British musician was a founding member of a very well-known band

c) His name rhymes with “Flyin’ Day”

That’s right … we’re looking at Brian May—best known for his work in Queen. You know, the super group responsible for hits like “We Are The Champions,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Another One Bites The Dust.”

A lot of people love Brian May for his flying fingers and rocking solos. In music, he’s a flat-out genius. But it turns out he’s also a brilliant in other areas, too. Like physics of all things. Who knew?! In 2008, Dr. May was awarded a PhD in Astrophysics from Imperial College London.

Actually, when Queen became successful, he was already in the process of pursuing his doctorate in mathematics and physics. … studying “reflected light from interplanetary dust and the velocity of dust in the plane of the Solar System.” (Whoa.) And even though Brian abandoned his physics doctorate at that time, he still took the opportunity to study the stars through his telescope. In 1972 and 1973—at the height of his band’s fame—he co-authored two scientific research papers: “MgI Emission in the Night-Sky Spectrum” and “An Investigation of the Motion of Zodiacal Dust Particles (Part I).” How cool is that?

Of course, you shouldn’t look so surprised, right? Because, if you ask me, he had a secret advantage. Brian May’s study of the planets and stars must have been helped by his understanding of music. After all, we now know how music notes are just like the solar system. So Brian’s classes must have been a piece of cake. Anyway, whether he’s thinking about guitars or galaxies, Brian May is totally out of this world.